AKU chooses The Mountain Lab as partner to drive U.S. business
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AKU chooses The Mountain Lab as partner to drive U.S. business
A partnership of Italian craftsmanship and American integrity create a solid business plan.
Mammoth Lakes, CA: The Italian mountaineering, hiking, trekking and lifestyle footwear brand AKU has chosen to partner with The Mountain Lab to drive U.S. business efforts.
The family owned and Italian made brand has been carefully crafting boots and shoes for more than 30 years with an emphasis on high quality trekking and outdoor footwear, designed for people that live, work and spend time in the outdoors. Based in the Montebelluna, the iconic center of Italian technical craftsmanship, the brand is revered by those familiar with the brand in both Europe and the U.S. The mountain environment and its cultural values are the main inspiration source at AKU and is evident throughout the brand.
With a dedication to sustainable and responsible practices, AKU has been committed to finding design and production solutions that minimize environmental impact, while maintaining a premium product that’s built to last in some of the harshest conditions. AKU has also managed to shorten its supply chain and concentrate 100% of production in company owned facilities in 2016, limiting environmental impact due to shipping. Additionally, 100% of product components can be traced back to their geographical origin.
“It is an exciting time for AKU. We are well known for our high quality, technical Italian trekking and outdoor footwear. Yet as more and more urban trendsetters are wearing AKU, we have decided to embrace this trend. We will be introducing a new product line that stay true to our heritage of finely crafted, functional Italian outdoor footwear, but looks fantastic in the city, too,” says Paolo Bordin, General Manager at AKU. “And we are so pleased to partner with The Mountain Lab to drive this business in North America. They share our genuine love for manufacturing, built on the age-old prestigious tradition of Italian workmanship.”
The Mountain Lab will drive marketing and sales efforts to push the current technical lines, as well as introduce U.S. consumers to AKU’s lifestyle offerings.
“AKU has achieved the perfect blend of real, technical, functional and beautiful footwear that can truly capitalize on the current crossover trends between urban and outdoor,” says Scott McGuire, Brand Strategist for The Mountain Lab. “It is such a pleasure to help usher this authentic, hands on brand to the U.S. market at just the right time.”
Look for AKU at better footwear dealers in fall 2016.
About AKU: AKU was founded more than 30 years ago by Galliano Bordin and has grown from a small workshop into an industry. The research, design and production of high quality trekking and outdoor footwear takes place at the production plant in Montebelluna, Italy in the province of Treviso, famous for its sports footwear. Aku can be found in more than 30 countries across Europe, North America and Asia
About The Mountain Lab: About The Mountain Lab: Founded in 2011 by Scott McGuire, The Mountain Lab is a full-service brand strategy and product development firm. It provides brand strategy and development; sourcing and procurement; product innovation, design and development; go-to market strategy; and carrying out sales and marketing plans.
